The Thickness of Blood
by fcforte07
Summary: Nick Stokes loses his older sister to a murder. After taking in his twenty four year old niece, Ashleigh, he begins working on the case. A job, relationship, and some strange events fall into Ashleigh's lap. Soon things begin to go bad. Rated M forlanguag
1. An Open Door

**Chapter One: _An Open Door_**

Nick Stokes stared blankly into the microscope. The lab had been slow for the past week. Things had gotten so dull that he resorted to looking at molds of Grissom's rare bug collection. "Having fun?" His trance was broken. He looked up to see Greg Sanders looking down at his study with his hands clasped together behind his back.

"Of course, I've always wanted to start a hope of examining bug." He said in a sarcastic tone.

"You better hope Grissom doesn't catch you frying up his molds. Anyway, you have a phone call." Greg said.

Nick raised his eyebrow. He never received phone calls at work unless they were business related. Those phone calls were directed to his cell phone. He walked over to the phone and pressed the button for the speaker.

"This is Nick Stokes." He said leaning on the desk in front of him.

"Nick. It's your brother Eric. Something happened to Amanda and Dean."

"What? Eric what's going on?" Nick asked getting worried.

"I don't know. They police won't tell us until all of the family is here. Get your ass down here now!" His brother hung up the phone. Nick looked at Greg.

"Tell Grissom that I'm going to Dallas."

Nick sat staring at the wall. He hated the smell of a funeral home. The smell was the air freshener for death and sorrow. His older sister, Amanda, and her husband had been murdered in their home. There were no leads on the case yet. When he was growing up Amanda was always there for him. She supported him no matter what. When she was eighteen she had a baby. His parents did not approve of it. They're views reflected on the other children. It was like the whole family disowned her. It wasn't until a year ago when he met up with her again. He was surprised to see how her life was going. She was an accomplished lawyer. Dean was a police officer. It was also the first time he met her daughter. Ashleigh was fresh out of the acdemey..

After the funeral he saw Ashleigh lingering around other gravestones. He looked around and reluctantly walked up to her. "Hey. How are you?" He asked.

"I've been better." She said looking down at the ground.

"I didn't see you any during the funeral." He said.

"I wanted to be alone. I didn't want to see them laying there. Cold, pale, and helpless. I bet that's how they were when they were murdered."

Nick stared at her. He quickly changed the subject. "When was the last time you had something to eat?" He asked.

"Yesterday mourning. I didn't feel like going out last night. I was getting tired of the news reporters hounding me too." She said.

"Let's grab a bite to eat then. My treat."

Ashleigh stared out the window of the diner. She sat there and listened to the stories her uncle told. None of it interested her. She had only one thing on her mind. Why? Why did somebody murder her parents?

"What have you been doing since I saw you last?" Nick asked her.

"I applied for a job at the crime lab here and got turned down. My parents were murdered. I was questioned as a murder suspect. I live in a hotel now because the house I once lived in is now boarded up because it's a crime scene. The police said that if I was home whenever all this happened I would've been murdered too. When I heard that I asked myself, "Damn, why couldn't I have been that lucky?" I'd rather be dead than have to go on not knowing why this happened to my family." She said.

Nick didn't know what to say. He looked down at the fries he had on his plate and thought for a second. "I wish you knew what you were saying," He said. "You're letting your emotions get the best of you. I'm glad you weren't home that night. Last year your mother asked me to watch out for you if anything ever happened to her and your dad. I promised her that I would."

"I'm twenty-four! I don't need anyone to watch out for me."

"You're young. You have no idea what it's like out there. I don't intend on breaking my promise either. You can transfer to the university out there. I'm not going to argue about this with you." He said.

Ashleigh sighed and said, "I don't have the money to buy a place to live out there."

"I've turned my basement into a game room. We can move some stuff out of there and you can do whatever you want to it. Consider it to be your own apartment." He said and smiled.

"Whatever. We need to make a deal though." She said resting her arms on the table, ready to negotiate.

"You're too much like you mother, but go ahead."

"You agreed to watch out for me. That doesn't mean you can treat me like a child. Let me make my own decisions and mistakes. Most of all, don't act like an overprotective father when I go out on a date with a guy. And please, let me have my space. I need time to myself." She said.

"Fine, I just don't want you to go out there and get into big trouble. You know Vega-" He was cut off before he could finish.

"Vegas is the place for all of the seven deadly sins. Dad and I had the discussion when I was seventeen."

Ashleigh dropped her last box down in the basement of her new home. Nick and his friends, Greg and Warrick Brown, carried her furniture down the stares. They went upstairs to play NFL-2K on Nick's Dreamcast. She bean unpacking her things. The first thing she picked up was a picture of her and her parents at her high school graduation. She looked at the picture and began to cry. She still thought of the night when it happened. It was late when she came home that night from her friend's birthday party. The door had been forced open and the house was wrecked. She ran around the house looking for them until she got to their bedroom. They both laid there motionless in their own blood.

She put the picture down and buried her face in her hands. It didn't hit her until now that they were gone. As she sat there in the floor she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked her with tears still streaming down her face. Greg was kneeled down next to her. With neither of them saying a word he hugged her. She sobbed into his shoulder. She had only just met him, but he was the only one that gave her a shoulder to cry on. She felt comfortable to let her emotions show in front of a complete stranger. At the funeral she saw how the Stokes family acted when they loss a family member. They showed no emotion for her mother and father. She knew why and hated it. They looked down on her mother for a mistake that she made almost twenty-one years ago. They also looked down at who came from that mistake.

She stopped sobbing and moved away from Greg. "I'm sorry." She said wiping her eyes.

"For what? It's alright to cry. It's a normal thing to do when you lose someone that you love. People do it when they watch a sad movie. Everyone does it when they stub their toe. Now that hurts." He said trying to cheer her up.

She gave him a small smile and said, "Thanks, I needed to do that. Please don't tell Nick about this. I don't like to talk to him or anyone about things like this."

"Why are you talking to me then?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." She said. He smiled and went back upstairs.


	2. A New Case

**Chapter Two: _A New Case_**

Two months had gone by. Ashleigh's luck was looking up. She landed a job with the crime lab. Today was witnessing her first autopsy. She was in the locker room putting on what she called doctor clothes.

"Having fun?" She looked up and saw Greg standing in the doorway.

"Oh yes. I'm just having my own little party." She said sarcastically.

He laughed and sat down next to her. "How are you enjoying graveyard shift?" He asked.

"Well, it's a lot of work. I like it though." She said.

"I heard that Uncle Nick has a new case." He said.

"Really? I didn't see anything come in."

"That's because it's from Dallas."

"Greg..."

"You didn't hear it from me." He said.

"Why is it here? Why couldn't it stay in Dallas?" She asked burying her face in her hands.

"I'm not sure. I only told you because I thought you had a right to know."

She sighed and stood up. "I'm going to talk to Nick."

She stormed down the hallway to the break room. She walked through the open door and stopped. She looked around and only saw Grissom leaning against the counter drinking coffee.

"Are you ready for the autopsy?" He asked as he sat his cup down.

"I need to talk to Nick." She said not explaining why.

"Did Greg tell you about the case coming in from Dallas?" He asked her.

"Grissom, please tell me if it's my parents case." She pleaded.

"Yes, but you're not allowed to get involved with it in any way. However, you are entitled to know about any leads we have." He said.

"Whatever. Where is Nick?" She asked getting impatient.

"He said that he was going out of town. He left his car at home so you can get to school and to here." He said.

She sat down in a chair next to the table and sighed. She looked up at him and said, "You know, I see how Nick and my mom were alike. My mom kept things from me to protect my feelings."

"Now Nick is doing what your mother did." He said.

"Don't tell Nick I said this, but I'm glad he has been there for me. If he hadn't talked to me at the funeral I would've been dead."

Grissom looked at her and she continued, "I looked at one of those books in your office. It said something about a person who comes across a murder victim from their own family may be at risk of committing suicide. If they were close to that family member the risk is even higher."

"Do you still feel that way?" He asked her.

"No."

"If you ever want someone to talk to someone you can talk to me."

Ashleigh smiled and said, "Thanks Grissom."

"Now, let's head over to the autopsy room."

Ashleigh walked into the locker room and sat down on the bench. She noticed one of the lockers were open and kicked it shut out of frustration. "Ouch! Damn. My hand was there!" Greg yelled.

"God Greg, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were still here." She said standing up.

"That's okay." He said looking at his hand. "I heard you needed a ride home."

She raised her eyebrow and said, "Yeah, I guess word travels fast around here."

"Not really. I think somehow it was put off on me when everyone else had to stay over late. I don't mind." He said smiling.

"Thanks Greg. I want you to listen to something when we get there." She said.

He nodded and the two of them left the building and got in his car. As he drove down the highway he asked her, "How was your first autopsy?"

"It was fine. I've seen worse though." She said.

"How could you have seen worse?" He asked.

"I found my parents after they were murdered. I'll leave it at that."

They arrived at the house and went inside. He looked around and smiled. "What did you want me to listen to?" He asked.

She hesitated for a second then said, "It was just a new CD I bought."

"One perk to being a CSI is that we can read people's emotions. That way we can tell if someone is lying to us or not."

"I just want to say that I have a feeling." She said.

"A feeling? What kind of feeling?"

"It's not just one feeling. It's many. I think I have feelings for you."

He leaned down and kissed her. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him away. "Greg, if this happens, will it be the only thing that happens?" She asked him.

"No, this won't be the only thing that happens. I promise." He said. He really meant it. She smiled and grabbed his hand. She turned out the light and led him down the basement steps to her room.

He ran his fingers through her hair. She wouldn't look at him. "Ash, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I feel dirty." She said.

"Sex isn't clean my dear." He said with a smile

She grabbed the pillow from under his head and hit him with it. "You know what I mean. Usually something like this happens after a date or a special moment."

He thought for a second and said, "You witnessed your first autopsy."

"You're sick." She said and sat up.

He sat up with her and planted a wet kiss on her cheek. "If you're thinking that I lied when I said this wasn't the only thing that would happen, you're wrong." He said.

"I know. Even if you were, I would have found you so I could kick your ass." She said and smiled.

He leaned forward to kiss her, but was stopped by her hand covering his mouth. "Did you hear that?" She asked.

"Yeah, it sounded like footsteps. Now, lay one on me baby." He said.

"Greg!"

He sighed and rolled out of the bed. He began to put his clothes on when she yelled at him again. "Ash, I'm not going up there in my boxers." He said.

"If someone else is in this house, I doubt they care. Those are my pants in case you haven't noticed."

He glared at her and dropped the pair of pants he was holding. Reluctantly, he walked up the stairs. Once he opened the door he was forced to the floor. "Why the hell are you in my house?" Nick yelled in his ear.

"Nicky, it's me, Greg. Please don't kill me." Greg pleaded.

"Sanders? Wait, why the hell are you in my house?" Nick asked him as he let him up off the floor.

Ashleigh ran up the stairs. The two men looked at her. "Hey! You wouldn't let me get dressed, but you did!" Greg yelled noticing her clothes.

Nick realized what was going on. He looked at Ashleigh and said, "I go into the next town for a few hours and you bring home somebody for a one night stand. What are you thinking? And of all people you were with Sanders."

"One night stand? You honestly think I would be a person to have a one night stand? I'm not the one who slept with a prostitute before she died!" She yelled.

"That's taken completely out of context!" He yelled back.

She had enough. Arguing wouldn't get her anywhere. She turned around and went back down the basement stairs, shutting the door behind her. Nick looked back at Greg. "Sit down." He ordered pointing at the couch.

Greg obeyed and went over to the couch. "Nick, listen, this isn't a one night stand. Ashleigh and I actually have something for each other." He said.

"Sanders, if you wanted to start dating her, why didn't you send her flowers or something like that? I've had this conversation with you before."

After the conflict at Nick's house it was time to go back to work. Ashleigh was put on her first major case with Catherine. The two of them went to a scene where a robbery had taken place. "Who did you do?" She heard Catherine ask her.

"What? No one. Who said I slept with someone last night?" Ashleigh asked immediately defending herself.

"I didn't say anything about that. I asked who took you home yesterday. I know Nicky went to the next town for some business. I was going to give you a ride, but I had to stay over late." Catherine said.

"Oh, sorry. Greg brought me home. I had a bad morning. Nick came home early." Ashleigh said.

"I have a feeling this is leading toward something I don't want to hear about." Catherine said shaking her head.

Detective Jones walked up to them and said, "Have fun ladies."

"Give us the low down before we ho in there Jones." Catherine said.

"The owner keeps saying that he didn't shoot the guy. Witnesses that were in the store at the time have stated there were two more gunmen in the store. That's all I know." He said and walked away.

Catherine looked at Ashleigh and asked, "Is this your first murder?"

"Nope."

"Let's get moving then."

Ashleigh smelled gun powder as she walked through the motion sensor door. She noted that in her mental notes. She bent down next to the victim and began collecting evidence.

"Do you smell something burning?" Catherine asked her.

Ashleigh stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Yeah, what is that?" She asked.

As if on cue the fire alarm went off in the store followed by the sprinkler system. Catherine dropped her head. What were the odds of this happening? All the DNA evidence that could've been collected was being cleaned away. She looked over at Ashleigh. Saved. Before the alarm went off she had started on DNA.

"Do you think I collected enough Cat?" She asked.

"I hope so. If not I'm putting you on late duty." Catherine said with a smile.


	3. Threatened

**Chapter Three: _Threatened_**

An overheated microwave seemed to be the cause of the sprinkler incident. Catherine noticed that it had been set to cook for sixty minutes. She made her way down each aisle of the small convince store. Ashleigh crouched over the victim examining the bullet holes. She lifted his arm to check for markings that could be left from a gun. This arm had an unusual stiffness to it. Rigor mortis?

"Rigor mortis doesn't set in until two hours after the death right?" She asked Catherine.

"That's correct. Why?"

Ashleigh examined the body closer. She pressed on his face with a cue-tip. A skin colored cream covered the white cotton tip. Catherine walked over and bent down. "Maybe he was wearing make-up." She suggested.

She moved her hand and lifted back his eye lids. "His eyes aren't real."

Ashleigh smirked and flicked the eye with her finger. They hear a faint ping. "He isn't a victim. He's a dummy. This actually looks like a human body. It's only plastic skin though. I had a boyfriend in college who made human body parts for low budget movies. He had arms, legs, hands and other parts everywhere."

Catherine shook her head and stood up. "I knew you would have figured it out sooner or later." She said.

Ashleigh raised an eyebrow. Confusion fell over her. "Figure out what?" She asked her.

"For every new CSI we set up a mock-crime. If we hadn't gone through our little shower everything would have worked out. After I send in your evaluation you'll be a level one CSI." Catherine told her with a smile.

Ashleigh blinked a few times. She was still shocked that this was only a mock crime. She said the only thing that came into her head at that moment. "I hope we don't have to clean all this up."

In less than three hours Nick had gone from having five suspects to zero. He was given the case for three days. No more, no less. He was afraid that the case would turn cold if he didn't solve it. With all of the hustle and noise, the lab was silent to him. His tired eyes looked over file after file. The only evidence collected from the scene was DNA. DNA that belonged to his sister and her husband.

"This bastard must have wiped the place clean before he left." He said to himself.

"The killer is a male then." Grissom said. Nick now realized he wasn't alone.

"Yes. I mean no. I don't have a gender yet. I have nothing!" Nick yelled out of frustration.

He placed his hands on the table in front of him and leaned forward. He closed his eyes and let his head drop. Physically he could handle the case. He wasn't mentally prepared for it. The case had his emotions in a whirl. He wanted to find the killer, but he wouldn't let himself get there through the evidence. Ashleigh being there affected him too. She was old enough to care for herself, but there was a killer out there. He knew he was being over protective, but he was worried about her.

"Nick, I'm sending the case back to Dallas." Grissom said.

Nick shook his head and said, "I can't do this. If it was any other case I would have figured everything out by now."

He slammed his fists on the table. The glass containers rattled under the disturbance. He walked past Grissom and out of the lab without saying a word. Grissom understood everything. He protested Nick's involvement with the case, but someone from the Dallas PD requested him for the job.

The sun began rising. Graveyard shift was over for the time being. Ashleigh glanced out the window at people who were just beginning their work day. She looked over at Catherine and smiled.

"Thanks again for giving me a ride home. I promise I'll have a ride next." She said.

Catherine gave her a nod and said, "I don't mind. Tell me more about your bad morning."

Ashleigh laughed and shook her head. She explained to her what happened the other morning. Catherine laughed when she heard that Nick tackled Greg to the floor.

"Greg is a nice guy. He's a little strange, but it seems that you may have made the right choice. Nick should give you a little credit." She said.

Ashleigh shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't blame him for acting the way he did. The Stokes family believes in tradition. It must be the guy who asks the girl out on a date and only a date. The parents must meet the guy before they go out. After that they decide if the guy is good enough for their daughter. My mom wasn't into tradition. That's one of the reasons I'm here. I guess she passed that belief on to me."

"You're a young woman. I don't think you should have to live with a middle-aged man. I mean you need your own space." She said.

"I know. I've found a place though. I made the first few months of rent payments too. It's a great apartment. I'm moving in as soon as my mom's car gets here from Dallas. Living alone will be a lot better than seeing Nick walk around in pink Valentine boxers." Ashleigh said. She cringed remembering that moment during breakfast the other day.

Catherine turned the Chevy Tahoe in the driveway of the house. Ashleigh thanked her again and got out of the vehicle. As she entered through the door of the house she kicked a package that had been dropped through the mail slot. She bent down to examine it. It listed her name as the reception. She tore open the package and pulled out a cassette tape. There was no writing or text on the tape. This seemed bad, but she was curious. She stood up and went into the living room. Nick had an old cassette player on top of the television. She put in the tape and pressed play. A man began speaking.

"_You're lucky. I came for a visit, but you have a job now. I see that you're a CSI now. Just like Uncle Nicky. He hasn't found the murderer yet. That's because it's me. I cleaned up after I did the job. You could've made it so much easier by being there. I'll be back to visit soon. We'll have a great time then. You'll get another message from me soon._"

The tape stopped playing after that sentence. She stared at the cassette player until she could begin to think. She raised a shaking hand to play the tape again but stopped. Once was enough. It had to be real. Lights from outside shown inside the window. She looked out the window and saw that it was a black Chevy SUV. She ejected the tape from the cassette player and shoved it back in the package it came in. Nick walked through the door.

"Hey, I thought you would be in bed by now. I heard about the mock crime. They usually go over better than that, but congrats." He said. He noticed the expression on her face. Her face was flushed and she was shaking.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Y-yeah. I just feel a little sick." She said.

"You're not pregnant are you?"

She glared at him. He was bringing up the Greg situation. "No. I'm going to bed now."

"Wait, they drove in your mom's car today. Didn't you see it parked outside?" He asked.

"I guess I didn't." She said and went down the basement steps. Any other time she wouldn't mind lying to Nick. It bothered her this time. She knew that she should have given him the tape, but she wanted to forget everything that happened. She wanted to forget anything from her past that caused her pain. Her life in Las Vegas would be different.

_**Authors Note:**_

_Sorry for the chapter being so short. I wrote some of the fourth chapter before I wrote this one so I wanted to avoid putting things from that chapter in this one. I promise that the chapters will get longer._


	4. Feuding

**Chapter 4: **_**Feuding**_

She looked around the room. Everything was starting to become hazy. She put her hand on the wrist of the hand that was choking her. She woke up and sat up in the bed. Her face was covered in sweat. The hand was gone. It was only a dream. A dream that felt so real. Another sleep ruined by the same dream. She got out of bed and grabbed her clothes that she had laid out on her dresser the night before. Maybe a nice hot shower would calm her down a bit. She walked up the basement stairs and went to the downstairs bathroom. It was a small bathroom, but she would rather use it than share the upstairs one with. She didn't even want to imagine what she could find in there. She noticed a note written on a Post-It note had been stuck to the door.

_'Ash-_

_I had to run to the grocery store. Be back around noon._

_-Nick'_

She shrugged her shoulders and went into the bathroom shutting the door behind her. She stepped into the shower, turned the nob for the hot water, and closed the curtain. She stepped into the streaming water and stood there. Her tense muscles began to relax and she sighed. It would all be over soon. At least that was what she kept hoping would happen. She began to think about how things were before her parents were killed. Family dinners. Bonding. Something that didn't being her much enjoyment when her parents were living was now something she longed for. Those memories were something of the past. She finished up her shower and got out. She wrapped the towel around her body and started to look in the mirror. She was shocked to see a message written in the steamed up mirror. '_You never know when I'm watching you,"_ it said. No, not again.

Greg grabbed Ashleigh's hand as they exited the theatre. She called him earlier that day and asked him if he wanted to go do something before they started working the night shift. She smiled and they walked down the street to where Greg had parked his car. He opened the passenger side door and let her get in. He closed the door and walked over to the drivers side. Before he got in he noticed a man on the other side of the parking lot. It seemed as if he was watching them. He looked young and was smoking a cigarette. The man looked at Greg and walked away. Greg shrugged his shoulders and got in the car. "Do you want to go was a ride somewhere? You know, just to see the beautiful Las Vegas scenery?" Greg asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Ashleigh looked at him and said, "I want to go somewhere so I can be alone. Away from people for an hour or two."

Greg frowned at her and asked, "Do you want to be away from me?"

She shook her head and said, "No, I want you to be the only one with me. I really want to talk to you about some things."

He nodded his head and started the car. "I know somewhere." He backed the car out of the parking space and drove out of the parking lot. He knew of a peaceful and quiet place where they could talk. A place where they couldn't be bothered. He drove for three hours until they arrived at a dirt road. He turned off on it and drove into a heavily wooded area. It was already dark. Ashleigh had fallen asleep during the drive. He found a place to park his car and shut off the engine. He looked over at her and smiled. He brought his arm up and ran the back of his hand down her cheek. She moved her head and grabbed his wrist digging her nails into his skin.

"Ashleigh! What the fuck?" He yelled at her.

She opened her eyes and let go of his wrist. "I'm sorry Greg. I-I was having a bad dream." She said looking down at the floorboard.

He rubbed his wrist with his hand. "Let's get out. I have a blanket in the back that we can use to sit on. Let's talk like you said." Ashleigh nodded her head in agreement and they got out of the car. Greg brought the blanket along and spread it out on the ground when they had found a place to sit. "So what should we talk about?" He asked as he helped her sit down on the blanket.

"I've been having these nightmares lately. Not normal nightmares, but nightmares that seem real. I can feel a hand around my neck squeezing my throat. I feel my lungs trying to get air, but I can't breathe. Then when I wake up I have this feeling of being watched. That's not the only thing. When I came home last week I found a package addressed to me. I don't know exactly who it was, but it was whoever killed my parents. They want to kill me too." She said.

"Ashleigh, you need to give that to Grissom. That's part of your parents case. Plus the police need to know in case something happens to you." He said.

She laid back on the blanket and closed her eyes and said, "This is all a dream and I will wake up to my mom's home cooked breakfast and my dad's lame jokes." She opened her eyes and said. "I can't believe my life has turned for the bad."

Greg put his hand on the other side of her and looked down at her. "Ashleigh I want to tell you something. Listen to me and don't forget what I say. I promise that nothing will happen to you. I will make sure that you are safe. I'm saying this because I love you."

"You shouldn't say such things like that Greg." She said.

"Yes I should. Why? Because you're not something I need. You're not the only thing I want. You are my everything. I've never felt this way for anyone. I think about you every hour that I'm awake and I dream about you every minute that I sleep." His statement brought tears to her eyes. He leaned down to kiss her but stopped. His face went pale.

"Greg? What's wrong?" She asked. She looked around his head and saw I gun against it. The owner of the gun was Nick.

"Get off my niece Sanders." Nick said through clenched teeth. Greg quickly obeyed him. Ashleigh quickly stood up and saw Warrick running toward them.

"Nick! Calm down man." He said as he stopped next to him. He placed his hand on Nick's and forced him to put the gun down.

Nick put his gun back in the his holster and brought his attention to Ashleigh. "Why the hell did you come out in the middle of the woods with him?"

She glared at him and said, "I can come out to the middle of the woods with whoever I please Nick"

"Not under my watch."

"Under your watch Nick?" She asked. "If I'm under your watch I'll never get to do anything. I'm twenty-four Nick!"

"You keep forgetting the conversation we had about my promise to your mother."

Ashleigh threw her arms in the hair out of frustration. "You keep forgetting the deal we made. The deal about you giving me my space. The deal that let me make my own decisions."

Warrick stepped in and stopped their argument. "You two need to quit. We need to head back if we want to make it to our shift on time," He said. Ashleigh glared at Nick one last time and walked back to Greg's car.

"You shouldn't have kept this evidence from us Ashleigh," Grissom said as he studied the package Ashleigh had given him.

She didn't say anything. He was right. She could have possibly helped solve the case if she had given it earlier. Everything was changing now. She would not be able to work until they found whoever made the tape.

"I'm sorry Grissom. I knew I should have brought the tape forward as soon as I received it, but I was tired of everything. I never get any sleep and when I do sleep I dream of my parents killer. I can't do anything because if Nick. I don't want to live with him anymore. He's trying to run my life for me. I understand that he promised my mom that he would watch over me if anything had happened to her, but this is too much.," she said.

"There is nothing stopping you from moving into your own place Ashleigh. I only think you shouldn't work because whoever this man is may know where you work. It may also because a good idea to find another place to live. He knows that you live with Nick now. You could maybe throw him off by moving," Grissom said and put the package down. "I suggest that you talk to Nick about this."

Ashleigh turned and walked out of the lab to go find Nick. He was sitting in the break room with Warrick and a cup of coffee. "Coffee so early in the shift?" She asked him.

"I did coffee if I have to worry about you all the time," he said bring the cup up to his lips to take a drink.

"I guess you better stock up on some Maxwell House then. Nick, I'm going to move into my open apartment," she said, Nick put down his cup and gave her a stern look.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm as serious as a heart attack Nick. Look, I've saved up more than enough money to start living on my own. I need to live on my own. I understand that you won't accept that, but there's nothing to stop me from moving out of your house."

Nick sighed and said, "I'm just worried that whoever sent you that tape will find you. No one knows what he is capable of. No one knows if he is the killer of your parents or not. I'm concerned about your safety Ashleigh, but you're right. There's nothing stopping you from moving out. We'll need to figure some things out in case that guy comes after you."

She smiled and said, "Al right, that's fine with me." After saying that she walked out of the break room.

Warrick raised his eyebrow toward Nick. "Did you sneak a little Jack into your coffee? A few hours ago you were holding a gun to Greg's head and arguing with Ashleigh."

"I don't know what I'm doing now. I'm too pissed off to do anything about her now. It seems like she doesn't care about her life right now. If I was her I would be afraid to even step outside. I would be looking over my shoulder every second," Nick said.

"You're afraid the same thing will happen to her that happened to you. Look Nick, Walter Gordon is gone. Yeah, the tape thing is similar to what we got, but I highly doubt anything will happen to her. I know you don't want to hear this part, but you're going to have to deal with this. Greg cares about Ashleigh as much as you. He won't let anything happen to her either. Trust him and trust her. And don't be mad at her because she wants to live on her own," Warrick said. Nick nodded his head and took another sip of his coffee.


End file.
